My Suetastic Story
by Wingsister Miri
Summary: Serena, an OC, goes to Hogwarts. Is Trelawney just being a hoax or is Serena actually cursed?
1. Chapter 1

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Serenity Black-Malfoy yawned. As every morning, she had problems getting out of bed in time for a good breakfast before they had to leave for school.

This morning, however, was different. Today, she wouldn't be going to the local day-school for young witches and wizards. Instead, she would be getting on the Hogwarts Express with her guardian, Remus Lupin, who would be starting his first year of teaching there. He would be professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Serenity thought that this was great, because DADA was her favourite subject and having it taught by her guardian and friend Remus just had to be awesome. They would have so much fun together, she could just see it.

But now she had to hurry if they wanted to be on time to catch their portkey to London King's Cross Station. Dumbledore had arranged it so they wouldn't have to fly from the Black Forest to England the muggle way.

Not that she had anything against muggles; it was just that their way was so much slower than the magical means of transportation.

Serenity got dressed in a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt with a denim jacket over the top. She loved her Muggle clothes; they were so much more practical than robes.

But her biggest problem with robes was that they always had the embarrassing tendency to become form-fitting, with a large amount of cleavage showing, whenever any boys that could be considered hot walked by.

Serenity tried to keep her mind off the prospect of wearing robes almost daily for the next year and ran down the stairs in her guardian's house and sat down at the kitchen table. Well, technically, it was hers, she had inherited it when her father, Sirius Black, had been sent to Azkaban, the magical prison in the North Sea. She knew that he was innocent, but to the rest of the wizarding world he was a notorious mass murderer, the killer of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggle bystanders.

Serenity had sworn to herself that she would clear her father's name eventually; she just had to find some evidence. And the perfect place for that, she had decided, was definitely Hogwarts, the very castle she was travelling to today.

As she poured her milk over her cereal, Serenity's hand shook with excitement. She had just started eating when Remus came in.

"Hey, pup. Excited?" he asked, using the pet name he had given her when they discovered that her animagus form was a huge black wolf. She thought it fitting that her animagus form should be close to her substitute father's werewolf form. After all, he had raised her since she had been one year old, when her father had been arrested.

She had been the product of a drunken fling between Narcissa Malfoy and Sirius. Serenity had always wondered how that had happened as Sirius and Narcissa were cousins and their worldviews were vastly different. Narcissa had also already been married at the time, which made the whole thing even stranger in Serenity's mind. She supposed she was lucky that she hadn't been born with a birth defect from all that inbreeding.

Anyway, when she had been born, her mother had turned up on Sirius' doorstep and handed him the baby, saying that she refused the responsibility and that Sirius, as the father, would just have to take care of the child.

"Of course I'm excited, duh. I'm only going to Hogwarts for the first time!" Serenity answered him. Remus grinned at his young charge's overexuberance. He remembered his own first day at Hogwarts well.

His feelings had been more mixed than Serenity's. His werewolf problem had had him very worried. Silently he had formed the resolution that he would not, could not have any friends. But in the end the walls he had tried to build around himself had collapsed under the onslaught of friendliness from James, Sirius and Peter. They had become fast friends during the train ride and their friendship had only intensified as their yeas at Hogwarts passed.

He sighed. Good times, he thought.

"Are you done eating?" Serenity nodded. "Good, then let's go."

Remus levitated their trunks as they walked out into the beautiful autumn sunshine. Serenity quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail to avoid being dazzled by the sun reflecting off her hair. This was another strange peculiarity of hers that Serenity had never been able to explain. She and Remus had tried everything to make it stop sparkle, but in the end they had had to settle for dulling it just enough that anyone looking at her hair wouldn't be half-blinded. But Serenity still preferred not looking too closely at her hair.

The house they stepped out of was a pretty, traditional cottage with a roof tiled in red. Serenity looked at it wistfully once more and then steeled herself before gripping the stub of a pencil Remus was offering her.

After a moment of total disorientation during which she felt the air whizzing past her through a kaleidoscope of colours, they landed in a quiet corner of King's Cross Station.


	2. Chapter 2

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

As they made their way through the throng of travellers, Serenity stared around to see if the could discover some other young witches and wizards. One family in particular seemed rather too magical to comply with the Statute of Secrecy.

It was a group of nine, most of them having bright red hair. They were slowly making their way towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Serenity felt drawn to them, so she quickened her steps to catch up to them. This sometimes happened to her, and the feeling always led her to her future friends, so she waved a quick goodbye to Remus and passed through the barrier.

The red-headed family was already further along the train.

"Ouch!" Someone had bumped into Serenity. She collected herself and checked whether the other person was okay. He seemed unhurt, but he was glaring at her as though she had somehow offended his sensibilities by being bumped into by him.

"Watch where you're going!" he started admonishing her. She wasn't having any of that.

"Now wait a minute, I was just standing here, looking around, when you ran into me." she replied.

"Get out of the way then. Who are you anyway, some little sibling just getting in the way on the platform?"

"My name", she replied, "is Serenity Black-Malfoy. And yours?"

He looked flabbergasted at her words.

"Don't try to lie to me, kid. You can't try telling me you're a Malfoy, not when you're talking to the heir of the family. I'm Draco Malfoy, so you can't tell me you're a part of my family without me knowing about it. I don't even have any younger relatives. So what is your real name?"

As his rant appeared to be over, Serenity answered: "Well, if you've never heard about me before, I suggest you ask your mother about your little half-sister. I'm sure she can lay your mind at rest if I really don't exist."

Serenity breezed past him and entered the wagon where she had last seen the interesting family. She had lost time in arguing with her darling half-brother, so by now the compartments were almost all full. Luckily for her, there was still room for two more in the compartment the youngest red-headed boy and the other two kids sat in.

Sliding the compartment door open, Serenity stuck her head inside. "Hello, is there still room in here for one more?" she asked.

The girl answered her: "Sure, come in. There's just a teacher in here with us, and he's asleep, so try not to wake him."

When she entered the compartment proper, Serenity finally noticed Remus sitting in a dark corner, his head leaning against the window.

"Oh, it's Remus. I thought he said he wanted to sit near the front of the train."

The girl with the bushy brown hair looked surprised:"You know him? I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, and those are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Do you know what Professor Lupin will teach? I thought it must be Defense Against the Dark Arts, it's the only vacancy. Sorry, I didn't catch your name before. Are you new at Hogwarts?"

When the flood of words stopped, Serenity replied: "My name's Serenity Black-Malfoy, I'm transferring here for my third year because Professor Lupin is my guardian, and I could hardly stay in Germany without him when he went off to teach DADA."

Serenity started stowing her trunk in the luggage rack. Harry, the boy with the glasses, got up to help her out. As she thanked him, Serenity mused that she should really have known it was him, since Remus constantly talked about him and his exploits.

She resolved not to treat him any different from anyone else. Serenity was sure he was sick of the hero-worshipping that seemed to be going on all around him.

As Serenity sat down, Ron spoke up: "Sooo, you said your name was Black-Malfoy? Care to share how you come to share a name with both Malfoy, our favourite resident git, and Sirius Black, wanted mass murderer? It just seems strange, you know?"

Serenity ignored his aggressive tone and answered him calmly: "I really have nothing in common with Malfoy but the name. He seems to be my half-brother, but through his mother, not the Malfoy side of the family. I've actually never seen him before in my life. His mother dumped me on my father as soon as I was born. She was already married at the time. And you're right to link me with Sirius. He's my father – my biological father, I should say, since it was Remus who brought me up since I was a year old. So you won't need to worry, I won't try anything on Harry here."

There was an awkward silence as Ron stared at her open-mouthed. Hermione quickly started talking to fill the silence.

"So, you lived in Germany before you came here? Is their school system any different from ours?"

Glad of the change of topic, Serenity answered her casually: "Yeah, it's really different. I went to day-school, for example, and we don't have any houses. But we do have the same subjects, so I hope I won't be behind."

Hermione looked surprised and immediately started asking more questions about Serenity's last school. This topic occupied them until the train suddenly slowed down and stopped, just when Serenity had started wondering about when they were going to reach Hogsmeade. But it didn't appear to be Hogsmeade, as the doors didn't open and there was no light outside.

All four students pressed their noses against the glass to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. Serenity suddenly felt chilled and when she looked back inside at Hermione, she noticed that the other girl was shivering, too.

When the lights suddenly went off, she stuck her head out into the aisle to check if it was only their compartment. There were people looking out of almost every compartment, and most of them looked as startled as she felt. She ducked back inside and plopped down into her seat.

"Any ideas on what's going on?" she asked. Harry, Ron and Hermione only shrugged.

They heard a commotion out in the aisle and were about to stand up again when the door slowly and silently slid open.

Serenity started shivering even more. She felt as though all warmth was being sucked out of her, and she was horribly afraid.

The –thing– that stood in the door just seemed to hover there. When Harry suddenly went rigid and fell off his seat, Serenity saw Remus give a start and wake up. He stood and pulled his wand on the creature.

"Go now. ", he said, "None of us are hiding what you are looking for!" Then he murmured a spell that Serenity didn't understand, and something silver burst out of the tip of his wand. The thing in the door stumbled back and slammed the door, and instantly Serenity felt warmer.

"Woah, what was that?" She was shocked, something like this was not supposed to happen at Hogwarts. She looked around. Ron and Hermione seemed to be coming around; Serenity decided that they would be fine eventually.

But Harry still seemed dazed and was only coming around slowly. His friends were kneeling by his side, trying to get him to wake up properly. Remus checked to see whether Serenity was okay, then he handed Harry a piece of chocolate.

"Here, eat this." he said, and when Harry looked sceptical, he added: "It'll make you feel better. Don't worry, it's not poisoned. I have to go talk to the driver. Will you be okay?"

They all nodded, still too shocked to speak. After Remus left, Hermione seemed to snap out of it and got Ron to help her get Harry back in his seat. Serenity sat back down in her own seat and tried to get the events straight.

What the hell had just happened?

Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing: "What was that?"

Hermione was quick to answer him: "That was one of the Dementors of Azkaban. He was looking for Sirius Black, I think. This should not have been allowed, they shouldn't be around people."

"But who screamed?" Harry asked.

"No one did, Harry." said Hermione. "Did you hear something?"

"Yes, I heard a woman, she was screaming, she was so afraid, I wanted to help her, but I couldn't move. You didn't hear it? You didn't ... fall... either?" Harry looked embarrassed.

"No, sorry, but I was awfully afraid, it was horrible. I felt like I would never be happy or even warm again." Serenity wanted to comfort the shaken boy, but she didn't really know what to say. "Maybe you'd better eat that chocolate. I know anything with chocolaty goodness in it always makes me feel better."

Harry gingerly took a bite, and after he swallowed he immediately relaxed a little.

"Wow, this is good! Have a piece; the warmth will go right through you." Harry handed them all a good chunk of chocolate. Serenity started nibbling. At once, the warmth spread though her out to her fingertips and toes. When she had calmed down a little, she heard footsteps approaching in the aisle.

It was Remus, returning from his visit to the train engine.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he stuck his head in the compartment. "We'll be arriving soon, so you'd better get changed now. I'll just go check on the other students."

He disappeared again and Serenity slid on her robes over her jeans and t-shirt. The other three had red-and-gold striped ties, but as she didn't know what house she would be in, Serenity just put on a grey tie.

In a few minutes, she would lose this neutrality. She hoped she could still hang around Harry, Ron and Hermione once she did. She liked them, and she didn't want to have to make new acquaintances again so fast. The rest of the journey she spent staring out of the window, looking for the lights of Hogsmeade Station.

When they finally appeared, Serenity gathered her things and stepped off the train. She got into a horseless carriage with the Gryffindor trio and with a lurch, the coach started her on the last leg of her journey to Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

When she got her first glimpse of Hogwarts castle, her breath was taken away. It was beautiful, floating majestically above the black expanse of the lake. When they rolled through the gates, Serenity started shivering again, but this time it passed quickly.

When they walked through the huge double doors, Draco Malfoy stood in their way.

"So, Potter, I hear you fainted on the train! Is that actually true?" He laughed. "Were you scared of the big bad Dementor? Awww!"

"Just go away, Malfoy." Ron sounded tired. Malfoy sauntered off towards the Great Hall and Serenity started to follow him when a tall, imposing woman called out to them.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Black-Malfoy, will you just come with me? Not you, Mr Weasley.", she added, "You go on to the Feast." With that, she strode off up the stairs. Harry and Hermione waved goodbye to Ron and followed her, with Serenity trailing after them.

"Who is that?" she whispered to Hermione.

"Professor McGonagall," she answered. "She's our Head of House and teacher for Transfiguration."

They stopped outside an office and Professor McGonagall waved them inside. There was a woman in a white apron waiting for them.

"So you were the victim? What exactly happened?" The woman, Serenity guessed she was the school nurse, started waving her wand around Harry's head.

"It was a Dementor, Poppy." Professor McGonagall interjected. Harry started explaining as well, but was cut off by the nurse.

"Awful, they shouldn't even be here. Mark my words, yours won't be the last case. It's always the delicate ones first."

Harry protested: "I'm not delicate! And I'm all right. Professor Lupin gave me some chocolate. Really, I'm fine."

The nurse huffed. "Well, at least this teacher seems to know his remedies, unlike the last one. If you're sure you're fine, you can go to the Feast." She left the room, and Professor McGonagall turned to Serenity.

"We decided you had better be sorted in private, without the entire school staring. So sit down in this chair and put on the Sorting Hat."

Serenity thought that it was strange that the would keep the first years waiting for their sorting just so she could be sorted in private, but she certainly wasn't going to complain, so she sat down gingerly and the professor lowered the hat until it covered her ears and she only saw the dark interior of the hat. She expected the little voice speaking in her head, so she wasn't too startled.

"Sooo, you're a little old, aren't you? But Dumbledore accepted you, so it must be all right. Well, where to put you... You're smart, got a dash of bravery, from your father, I suppose, but what you really are is loyal."

"Please let me be in Gryffindor, with my friends, they are very important to me."

"Well, if your friends are that important to you, and you're very loyal, I think you should be in ... HUFFLEPUFF!"

Serenity sighed. At least she wasn't in Slytherin, where Draco was. Maybe she could still be friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Professor McGonagall took the hat off Serenity and gave her a small smile.

"Wellcome to Hogwarts," she said and then opened the door "You and Mr Potter can join the Feast now. I'll just need a word with Miss Granger regarding her timetable."

Harry and Serenity went out into the corridor and started walking towards the Great Hall.

"Pity you're not with us," Harry said, "but we'll see each other in class, right?"

"Yeah," Serenity answered. "You've got Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, too, don't you?"

"Yes. Here we are. Ron is over there, so I'll see you around." With that, Harry walked on towards the Gryffindor table, leaving Serenity beside the Hufflepuff table. She sat down by a girl with long pigtails who looked to be about the same age as her.

"Hi, I'm Serenity. I'm new in third year." She said to the girl with the pigtails.

"Oh, I didn't know a transfer was coming. I'm Hannah, by the way. That's Earnie, he's in our year, too. Over there is Susan, she's in our dorm." A cheerful-looking blond girl a few seats down the bench waved at her.

Serenity heaped roast potatoes and gravy on her plate.

"So where are you from?" asked Earnie.

"From around here, originally, but I've been living in the Black Forest for twelve years." She answered after she had swallowed her mouthful of potatoes. "I've never been to a boarding school before," she continued, "so I'm really excited about staying in a dorm. Are they nice?"

"Oh yes," Hannah sounded excited. "We all have our own little corner of the dorm and the beds are incredibly comfy. The other girls are really nice, too. I'll introduce you after dinner."

Just as Serenity had finisher her delicious meal, Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the high table.

"Welcome, students! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. As you are aware after the search of the Hogwarts Express, the school is currently playing host to several of Azkaban's Dementors. Please do not try to leave the school grounds without permission and only in company of a teacher. Dementors will see through all disguises – including cloaks of invisibility. They will attack you if they sense you as they are unable to distinguish between a student sneaking out to Hogsmeade and a serious attack. So please be careful.

But now on to more cheerful topics. This year we are delighted to welcome not only our new students, but two new professors as well. Professor Lupin" here Dumbledore pointed at Remus, who gave a little wave towards Serenity. "who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Everyone in the Hall applauded though only those who had been on the train with him did so with any enthusiasm regarding Remus' threadbare robes and haggard face.

"Our second addition to the collegiums, I am proud to announce, is Professor Hagrid, who will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures."

Here the Hall erupted into cheers. Well, most of the Hall. While Gryffindors definitely cheered the hardest, the Slytherins didn't seem happy at all. Draco Malfoy slammed his cup of pumpkin juice down angrily and was muttering to his cronies.

When the applause finally subsided, Dumbledore bid them all a good night and sent them off to bed. Serenity was eager to see her House and meet her housemates and followed Hannah out of the Hall.

When she finally went to bed after admiring the dorm and meeting the other Hufflepuff girls, all she could think was that already she was enjoying her stay at Hogwarts, despite the fright on the train. Before her head even hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The next morning, Serenity awoke with a start to find Hannah shaking her.

"Come on, you have to get up, we'll be late!"

Serenity could hardly mumble that she was tired and wanted to sleep before Hannah pulled away her covers.

"Hurry up, you don't want to miss breakfast on your first day, do you? It's delicious, you can try the hash browns and the bacon, they're my favorite."

At the mention of food, even Serenity had to bow to the inevitable and get up.

After throwing on her clothes she hurried down to the common room, a cosy, warm room decorated in a sunny yellow. Hannah was waiting for her, so she could take Serenity to breakfast. Serenity had a notoriously bad sense of direction, though she somehow always almost magically managed to find a handsome young male to show her the way. But she really didn't want to rely on that, so Hannah had volunteered to be her guide until she could find her own way around.

Serenity tried to remember the way to the Great Hall from last night, but she would have been lost immediately without Hannah, who somehow seemed able to predict the movements of the staircases.

They reached the Hall with only minor mishaps (Serenity got stuck in a disappearing step on the stairs right outside the Hall) and sat down at their table.

Hannah had been right, everything was indeed delicious. When they were almost finished, Professor Sprout, their Head of House, brought them their timetables.

"Great, we have Herbology first thing!" Hannah had told Serenity that that was her favorite subject the previous evening, and Serenity was happy to see that they had the subject together with the Gryffindors.

After breakfast they made their way across the school grounds towards the greenhouses.

It was a cool and windy day, but the sun was shining, so they hardly felt the cold through their cloaks. By the greenhouses Professor Sprout was waiting for them.

"Today we'll be working in greenhouse two, with the carnivorous plants. Put on your dragonhide gloved and follow me carefully."

Inside everything was bright and beautiful, but as Professor Sprout had warned them, a plant tried to take a bite out of Hermione when she came too close in trying to examine the plant.

"Please form groups of four and try to get the sap out of these beauties. Without killing them."

Professor Sprout spoke about the plants as though they were babies, and Serenity resolved to be very careful when dealing with the plants. She joined Harry, Ron and Hermione on their plant.

It was beautiful really and Serenity could see why Professor Sprout would love them so much. Her group's specimen had huge, bright blue petals coated with a sticky substance. Very sticky.

When some of Serenity's impossibly long hair got stuck, they couldn't help but cut it off. Hermione promised her to have a go at growing it back later, but she wasn't too sure she really wanted it back.

Such long was actually quite annoying. Serenity's hair had a beautiful colour, just right so it shone like fire in the sun. So sure, it looked great, but only after an insane amount of time had gone into grooming it. In the morning, it took forever to brush all the knots out of it. This was another reason why Serenity was almost always late for breakfast. But even if that was worth it, such long hair was also very heavy and it had given Serenity many a headache just from the weight pulling at her scalp.

So maybe she would wear it short from now on. She could probably ask Hermione to cut off the rest and clean it up so it looked like a real haircut.

With much laughter, they finally extracted enough sap from the plant to satisfy Professor Sprout.

After Herbology, the Hufflepuffs had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. It was extremely boring, but miraculously Serenity managed to keep her eyes open and take some sketchy notes at least.

Finally, they had lunch and Serenity sat with Hannah and Susan. The Roast Beef was fantastic and Serenity thought that she might put on some weight if she didn't start eating more carefully. When they were quite full, they left for their first Divination lesson. As the class was held on the seventh floor, they had to hurry to get there in time before the bell rang.

Out of breath, they arrived on the platform where the rest of the students were. Serenity was puzzled because she didn't see any way to get to a classroom. There didn't seem to be any doors and Serenity was about to ask Hannah about this when a silver stepladder lowered itself from a trapdoor in the ceiling.

She climbed up after Hannah and was almost knocked back down when the thick air in the room above hit her. Luckily, she held on, otherwise she would've fallen on top of a Gryffindor boy she didn't know.

She smiled at Harry, Ron and Hermione when they came to the trapdoor but went to sit with the boy who had come up the ladder after her. He smiled at her and introduced himself as Neville Longbottom. Hannah and Susan were sitting in front of them and the rest of the class paired off as well.

The Divination teacher, a woman swathed in shawls and wearing a long skirt, blinked at them through her huge glasses and started whispering. Serenity strained to hear what she said in her soft voice.

"Welcome, class, to your first year of exploring the murky waters of the future. If you have the eye, by the end of our lessons you will be able to look beyond the veil obscuring all our destinies. But not all of you will be able to achieve this. Some of you will not be able to turn your eyes away from the petty pursuits of the present, unable to unfog the future in the slightest. One of those will be leaving us around Easter – leaving us forever. "

After this speech, she took on a brisker manner.

"All right, we'll be starting with the interpretation of tea leaves. Get yourselves a cup from that shelf and come to me to fill it up. Drink up, and hand your leaves to your partner to read. Oh, and Neville, why don't you take a blue cup. You're going to break it, and I'm rather fond of the pink ones. You will find the correct interpretations in your book."

Neville and Serenity got up to get themselves their cups and tea, and Neville did indeed break his cup almost as soon as he touched it. He took another and they went over to Professor Trelawney to get their tea.

The professor filled their cups without looking up. When she say who she was looking at, she gave a yelp and made Neville drop his teacup again. She seized Serenity's hand and stared directly into her eyes.

"Your eyes are a bright green," she said, "with dark green rings around the iris. They even have gold flecks in them. I fear you may be touched by great evil. Go see the school nurse immediately!"

Serenity was bewildered. What on earth could Trelawney mean? She gathered her things and climbed down the ladder with Hannah.

"She said I should stand by you in this time of peril." Hannah said. "What did she tell you?"

Serenity was puzzled. Why would she need Hannah with her?

"That I 'may be touched by great evil'. No idea what she meant though."

They went down many stairs before coming to the double doors of the hospital wing.

"Here goes!" Serenity took a deep breath. By now she was quite worried about the whole thing. She had no idea what Trelawney could have been talking about. She pushed the doors open and walked in slowly.


	5. Chapter 5

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Madam Pomfrey, the nurse who had fussed over Harry only a day before, came out of her office to greet them.

"Professor Trelawney sent us here," Serenity began, "she said that I may be touched by great evil. She gave me this note for you." She handed the note to Madam Pomfrey. When the nurse had read it, she looked shocked.

"We'll have to do some tests, so you can go sit on that bed there. I'll go get some equipment. You, " she told Hannah, "can help me carry it." They walked into the adjoining room.

A moment later they came back with their arms full of strange instruments. First, Madam Pomfrey took a little pair of scissors and cut off some more of Serenity's hair. She put the strands into a little box and sealed the lid shut with her wand. Then she sat a timer and put it on top of the box. The alarm started counting down the seconds from 30 minutes.

Next, Madam Pomfrey took something that looked like a big glass heart. There was a small pipe sticking out of it and Serenity had to breathe into that for a minute. It filled up to the rim with a thick red mist until it was practically glowing. Madam Pomfrey vanished the mist and handed the device back to Serenity.

"Breathe into it again, just lightly, only for 5 seconds this time." The nurse instructed the increasingly confused Serenity. What were these strange tests for? What evil could possibly be detected by a heart full of red mist?

She blew into the heart. Instantly it was filled with red mist again. It was glowing even stronger.

"Oh dear, oh dear, this isn't looking good at all. Just a few more experiments, then you're done." Madam Pomfrey handed Serenity a hideous grey hospital gown. "Put this on, then we'll know for certain."

Serenity slipped the thing on and stood in front of the mirror as directed.

Before their very eyes, the garment's colour shifted slightly until it was an elegant pearly gray that contrasted nicely with her eyes. Serenity felt the cloth sliding against her skin as the gown became tighter to show off her perfect curves.

Madam Pomfrey took a magnifying glass and had a look at Serenity's eyes. She sighed. "There's real gold in your eyes, did you know that?" she asked. "Well, if it's that strong, we might as well take a look at your hair right already."

Serenity held her hair out to them and the two girls and the older woman inspected it closely. To their surprise, the strands Hermione and the nurse had cut off had grown back and Serenity's haircut was the same it had always been. Perfect, of course.

Hannah looked shocked. "My hair would never do that. I can't even get it to lie flat!"

"Be glad your hair isn't like Serenity's," said Madam Pomfrey. "The coming months are going to be very hard on her." She turned to Serenity. "I'm sorry to say that you have been curses, or maybe possessed is the better word. I'll tell you the story of the curse you have on you.

There was once a girl called Mary Sue. She was beautiful, powerful and smart, and she couldn't bear the thought of ageing. So when she turned 18, she cast a very powerful spell. This spell was supposed to see to it that she would always stay young. But something went wrong and instead Mary found herself pulled out of her body and thrust into the body of an ordinary eleven-year old.

The girl possessed by Mary kept her personality, but suddenly she looked older, became extraordinarily beautiful and knew spells much too advanced for her age. This girl found that everyone around her was slowly changing, affected by Mary's spirit, and all the boys around fell in love with her. This went so far that the possessed girl hardly recognized her friends anymore. The girls all got makeovers and the boys became ideal gentlemen, when she was around, at any rate.

In the end, the girl felt like a stranger in her own world. Although at first she had enjoyed being suddenly admired by everyone, she had soon grown tired of it because she realized that her life wasn't really about _her _anymore. On her 18th birthday, she finally killed herself and Mary Sue went on to the next girl.

And this is how it's been ever since. Some girls were shallow enough to like being possessed by Mary, but they always lost their charms on their 18th birthday, and many fell into depression.

So, that's what we're facing. Hogwarts had always tried to help the girls affected by Mary, using exorcism as a last resort. Would you like to get rid of this ghost, knowing full well that you will lose some of your powers and your looks?" Madam Pomfrey looked Serenity straight in the eye, as though she wanted to look straight into her soul.

Serenity didn't have to think for long. She wanted to be herself, and she wanted people to like her for herself only.

"Yes," she said, "I do want to get rid of Mary Sue!"


	6. Chapter 6

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Madam Pomfrey sent Serenity to a room where she would be kept in solitude so Mary Sue couldn't work her charms on anyone but the nurse, who would be protected by powerful spells cast by Dumbledore himself.

It was a bit like what she imagined being in prison must be like. She was allowed visitors, but could not speak to them face to face lest she corrupt them.

That is, Serenity thought, if any visitors come at all. She didn't know that many people yet, and since they knew she was cursed, she doubted that anyone would want to visit her. After all, if they did, they faced the risk of their personality changing without them even noticing. It was a sad prospect.

But Serenity was wrong. The people she had met did want to visit her; they just wanted to wait for a while to make sure that Mary Sue got the message that she wouldn't have anyone to corrupt, that she would have to find another victim. That was what they were currently trying to do, drive Mary Sue out by making the circumstances as uncomfortable as possible for her.

Serenity hadn't combed her hair for days, and it was starting to become matted. Madam Pomfrey had given her transfiguration-proof clothes, as ugly as possible, and at the request of the girl she had given Serenity the hardest bed she could find.

Professor Dumbledore had given her some potions to drink, made by Professor Snape. The potions induced dreams which allowed Serenity to look into Mary Sue's past to search for weaknesses in the parasite possessing her. When she would know enough about Mary, Dumbledore would give her the means to meet Mary Sue face to face, and then she would cast the intruder out of her body and mind. That was the plan, anyway.

After four months of debeautification and relative solitude, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey finally declared her ready to face Mary Sue.

Finally. Serenity had never been this _angry_ at anyone, and she wanted to take this rage on something. She said goodbye to Hannah and Susan, who had visited her whenever possible during the past months. They had not talked about boys even once, which ought to do something to weaken Mary Sue.

They had become quite good friends and Serenity hoped she would finally be able to rejoin them in the dormitory after all this time. But that would only happen if she emerged the victor from her confrontation with Mary.

Hermione had visited quite a lot as well, first just to bring her the homework, and explain anything she didn't understand, and later also to chat. She had told Serenity about what was happening at Hogwarts, and she hadn't left anything out, not her escapades with Harry and Ron, and not the really important news, that Sirius Black had broken into Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione had been afraid that Serenity would be afraid and shocked by the last piece of news, but nothing like that had happened. Serenity had simply asked for as much information on her father as possible, and Hermione had gladly done the necessary research in the library.

She hadn't really told Serenity anything that she didn't already know from Remus, but it was nice to know that no amount of reading in the library would've helped her discover any evidence regarding her father's innocence or guilt. At least now she wouldn't have to camp out in the library herself.

But no, she corrected herself, letting others do the work for her was Sue-behavior, and she had to put a stop to that kind of thinking.

He only male allowed to see her had been Remus, as he had raised her and was like a father to her. Therefore he had been judged safe from Mary Sue's wiles.

Remus had helped her with her DADA work and given her some tips on how to deal with Mary Sue when the confrontation came.

"Put some wax in your ears," he had said, "so you won't be able to listen to her. Her voice is like a siren's song, and you don't want to be lured onto the rocks, do you?"

She had been given many more of these snippets of advice by Dumbledore, who had been preparing her for her battle. Finally, the day had come.

She had said goodbye to everyone, and she was ready to get rid of Mary Sue or live under her thrall forever. Well, not exactly forever. Serenity planned on not living quite that long should she fail.

She slowly walked out of her room into the brightness of the hospital wing. A committee consisting of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Remus and Hannah awaited her. She was glad that Remus and Hannah were there, she was going to need the moral support. She lay down on a bed and drank the potion Madam Pomfrey handed her.

"Wish me luck," she said with a weak smile. "I'm going to need it."

"Of course we do. My fingers are crossed. Come back safe, pup." Remus sat down on the bed beside hers and took her hand in his. Serenity was getting drowsy, so she closed her eyes and let the darkness settle around her.


	7. Chapter 7

My Suetastic Story

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

When Serenity opened her eyes, everything around her was black. She thought about how she had just been lying on a bed, and was on it. She thought about clothes, and she was clothed. All around the bed, everything was still black. Like an island in the midst of all the blackness, she thought. And suddenly the bed stood on a real small island, with a sandy beach and palm trees shading the bed. The sea around the island was of an impossibly turquoise blue, and it seemed to go on forever.

She realized that whatever this place really was, it looked like what she imagined it to be. She thought again.

A sunny meadow.

A castle on a cliff.

A dark cave lit by torches. This one seemed _right _to her somehow.

The cave was roughly circular and in the middle of it was a great stone slab with two swords lying crossed on top of it.

Serenity advanced towards the table. From the other side of the cave another young woman stepped forward. As Serenity grabbed her sword, so did the other girl.

She looked a lot like Serenity, only impossibly beautiful, so much it almost hurt to look at her.

"Why are you here?" the girl asked. "You should be glad I chose you. You are wonderful now. You will lead the perfect life. Look at what would have been, had I not given you my love and made you greater."

She touched the stone table and it rippled like water. When Serenity looked down to it, she saw a moving scene.

A little girl, eleven years old at most, was sitting in Serenity's room in her home in the Black Forest, crying. With a start, Serenity realized that it was her.

But why would she be crying? Her life had been perfect. She had been happy there, a social butterfly at school and at home everything was great.

The door opened and Remus walked in. "Come back downstairs," he said, "I need you to lock me up for the night. Why are you crying?"

He didn't say it nicely, like Serenity would have expected him to. He said it tiredly, like he just couldn't care anymore, was too tired and worried to. Serenity wondered why her younger self wouldn't just morph into her animagus form and go roaming the forest with Remus. Remus didn't need to be locked up; he was safe with her around. Wasn't he?

"Not without me," said Mary Sue, "if I hadn't been with you, you wouldn't even have your animagus form."

The scene changed.

Now the younger Serenity was sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, all alone. Again, she was crying.

The younger Serenity was pulling at her own hair, trying without success to get the everlasting bubblegum stuck in it out. Draco Malfoy stood at the door, laughing.

The scene changed again.

She sat on a stool in front of the entire Great Hall, the Sorting Hat on her head.

"Go home, you do not belong here!" it shouted out to the entire Hall. Everyone looked dumbstruck. Apparently, this had never happened before.

"You see?" asked the strange girl looking so much like Serenity with a shake of her beautiful head. "You should be glad I picked you, loved you and helped you out."

"I don't believe you!" Serenity screamed. "This is all wrong, it would never ever happen."

"Really? If you're so sure, what would the world really look like for you without my love and guiding hand? How do you know that it is better?" She smiled.

"Because it has to be!" With that, Serenity plunged her sword into Mary Sue's chest.

The girl only grinned and looked down at the sword sticking out of her.

"You think this will kill me? Foolish girl! I have incredible powers of healing, and unless my death is tragic and for the greater good, I can't die. You cannot defeat me!" She took her own sword and poked Serenity on the arm, just hard enough to draw a little blood.

"You, on the other hand, can die here." Mary laughed. "I am really going to enjoy this."

Serenity clamped her hand to the wound on her arm. It really, really hurt. At least it hadn't been her right arm. She moved back a few paces, careful not to move her arm. It still hurt like hell. Mary was right, this wasn't fun for Serenity, and she wanted it over, one way or another.

She took up her sword again. Only now she noticed how heavy it was. Before, she had wielded it with ease, but now she realized that she really had no idea at all about what to do with it. Well, _what_ to do she could see, it was just the how that was giving her trouble. She backed up a few more paces until she stood with her back to the wall.

Mary sue was advancing on her, swinging her sword as though it weighed nothing.

"So, you realize that you cannot win, don't you?" the Sue asked. "You know, I'm not quite sure I like this body anymore. This one is troublesome. So how about I just kill you and start over with another body? What about your friend Hermione? She could use a makeover, don't you think?"

"No!" Serenity shouted. "I won't let you!"

"Oh, really?" Mary Sue looked surprised. "How noble of you. I'm sure Hermione will appreciate it. But what use will your defiance be to her when you are dead?" At that, Mary Sue made a shallow cut in Serenity's cheek. Tears welled up in Serenity's eyes.

"Aw, did that sting? Poor little darling. You know, maybe I won't take Hermione after all. Maybe the famous Harry Potter instead. I could make him and that Draco Malfoy fall in love, that would be hawt, wouldn't it? They could be a happy family, with a little baby daughter as proof of their love."

"You want Harry and Draco to have a baby?" Serenity sounded a bit disgusted. "But they hate each other! And they're both male, neither of them have a uterus, so where would the baby even be made? Also, ew!"

"What has hate got to do with it? They don't have to like each other, they just won't be able to live without each other. As for the baby, there are means to every end. Besides, it would bring a little more love into the world, and that's always good, right?

But maybe this isn't the best idea, either. Here's a better one, I could take your darling guardian. He's already half in love with your father. Remus could spring him from jail and they could run from the law together. Maybe they could even die in each other's arms when the aurors do catch up with them. That'd be so romantic."

"No!" Serenity screamed. "You won't hurt any of them!" She swung her heavy sword in a wide arc and almost hit Mary Sue's head, but she pirouetted away with a tinkling laugh.

All Serenity had cut off was a shiny strand of Mary Sue's vibrant red hair. But her adversary was shrieking as though it had been her head Serenity had cut off.

Suddenly, Serenity had a thought. What if Mary Sue's power resided in her hair? After all, only after one of the beautiful tresses was cut off did Serenity notice that anything was wrong with Mary Sue. And come to think of it, all the girls possessed by Mary Sue that Serenity had seen in her dreams had had really special hair.

So Mary Sue should be weakened now. Maybe if Serenity cut off all her hair, she would finally die or at least disappear. Serenity swung her sword at Mary Sue with renewed energy. Again, her evil twin evaded her, but it was a close call and some more precious hair was sliced off.

As the opponents stumbled through the cave, Serenity clumsily attacking and Mary Sue by now just as clumsily defending, it was clear that both were very tired. This could not go on for much longer.

And it didn't. With one mighty blow, Serenity sliced off all of Mary Sue's remaining hair, leaving her with a very short haircut indeed. Then she collapsed to the floor of the cave.

When Serenity woke up, she was back in the hospital wing.

"Wow," Hannah said. "You look really different. In fact, you look normal. So, that means it worked, right?"

"Yes it did," Serenity beamed at her. "100% back to normal!"

Serenity went on to become a perfectly ordinary girl, then a completely normal woman.

When the Gryffindor trio had their adventures, she was not involved. They didn't tell her about their encounter with Sirius Black, either.

Though they stayed friends, it wasn't the kind of death-defying friendship it would have been had Mary Sue been on the reins.

Serenity briefly dated Earnie Macmillan in her sixth year.

After school, she became a nurse in St Mungo's hospital. There, she met Earnie again, and they got back together. After some years, they had a little daughter, but she was not named after anyone famous or dead, but was simply called Sarah.

Hannah and Serenity stayed friends throughout their education at Hogwarts and St Mungo's.

Serenity finally died of old age when she was 78. It was a perfectly natural and normal death that ended a life that had been completely normal save for three short outstanding years in her youth.

Serenity _enjoyed _normal.


End file.
